8 comments/ 15189 views/ 8 favorites Southbound Ch. 01-02 By: coaster2 I won't go into detail about the flexible packaging industry. Suffice it to say it involves plastic packaging which you are all familiar with in your everyday lives. Not rigid plastic, but plastic film ... of all types. This story is a romance that involves the packaging business. I hope you enjoy it. Originally edited by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks. Additional fiddling was by me and any errors or omissions are my own. Coaster2 ***** Chapter 1 A Chill in the Air There must be tens of thousands of us. There has to be. In all the flights I've taken in North America, I seldom recall seeing a familiar face. We're the nameless guys, often in wrinkled suits and loosened ties, carrying a briefcase or a laptop, or both. We stand in line to get our boarding passes, shuffle through security, sit in the waiting room (or lounge, if we've got enough points) and hope the damn plane is on time for once. My name is Gordon Andrews, although my family and friends know me as Andy. I'm almost forty-three well-worn years old, tall at six-two, and reasonably fit at 205 pounds. I'm the sales manager for Flex-Tek, a flexible packaging convertor primarily aimed at the food industry. My sales staff covers the west coast of the U.S. and all of western Canada. Our plant is based in Langley, not far from Vancouver. Yes, it's true I'm on the road at least two weeks out of four, but that's by choice. I want to be in touch with our customers and I want to know just how effective my sales guys and gals are as well. I also find I'm a lot happier on the road than I am when I'm at home. I married Carla Mertens a year after I started work at Flex-Tek. I'm a college drop-out, a permanent undergraduate I call it. I wasn't ready for the college environment and it wasn't until I was nearly thirty that I realized how immature I was then. By my thirtieth birthday, I had married, fathered two sons, and acquired a mortgage. I started in customer service, moved into sales two years later, then was made manager of sales at the ripe old age of thirty-five. I'm not sure I'll go any further, but I'm not really upset about that. I'm happy with my job and I'm very well rewarded for my efforts. We are very successful in our chosen market segments. Carla and I are mismatched. She's a foot shorter, to begin with, and not at all curious about the world we live in. She is, however, very attractive with a very nice, well maintained body. She dresses nicely and has a lovely smile when she chooses to show it. Over the years I've had a number of people comment on how good looking she is and what a nice person she was. She barely glances at the newspaper and only picks up what is on the evening TV news. As a result, she's often baffled by events and misinterprets what she hears. She's not dumb, just uninterested and unaware. I long ago quit trying to educate her. I'm her opposite. I'm an information sponge, always interested in what's going on and why things are the way they are. It's part of what makes me successful in my career. I really want to know what's important to our customers and I listen and attempt to understand how their businesses work. I try very hard to remember everything I'm told. To my credit, I've had a number of customers mention to my salesmen and my boss how they appreciate my interest and attention to their needs. We started our family very early on in our marriage. Our eldest son, Neal, was born a year-and-a-half after we wed when I was twenty-one and Carla was only twenty. Our second son, Philip, was born thirty months later. Looking back on it now, I'm glad we started as soon as we did. It was tough for a while, trying to raise two boys and provide a nice home for them on one salary. Carla had a job when we married, but gave it up when she became pregnant with Neal. She never went back to work. Neal is studying engineering at UBC. No surprise there. Like me, he's curious about many different things which led him in that direction. Unlike me at his age, he is extremely focussed and dedicated to his studies. He has a number of scholarship grants and bursaries to help the financial load. Since the commute is too much for him, he lives on campus. Philip, or Phil as he prefers, is less studious and not quite as mature. He still lives at home and commutes to school. However, he is bright and is very much immersed in computers and computer design. He's also the athlete of the two. He plays golf as well as intramural hockey which he is passionate about. He plays defence and kills penalties when he isn't the one in the penalty box to begin with. We're proud of both our boys. They're good citizens and do nothing that would embarrass us. At least, not that we know about. I'm pretty confident that both of them will succeed in the business world. They are different in personality and that's to be expected I suppose. Phil is the outgoing one while Neal is much quieter and more controlled. It's nice to be able to enjoy our children and not worry about them very much. It sounds like an ideal family, doesn't it? An attractive wife, two well-behaved sons, a house in the suburbs, and a great job. Most people would be content with that. I wish I were content. In the last two years Carla has not been the happy homemaker she once was. At first I thought she might be anticipating both boys being gone and her being alone. When I talked to her about my observations, she steadfastly denied there was any problem. We discussed moving to a newer home. We'd been living in our current three bedroom split-level for eleven years at maybe it was time for a change. At first she was interested, then talked herself out of it when she thought of all the work and confusion involved in a move. Alternatively, I suggested some home renovations to upgrade our current home. No, that would just make a big mess. Plus, after all the horrible things that renovation contractors did on some of the reality TV shows, she wanted no part of that. "So, tell me, Carla. What is it you do want? You're obviously not happy right now. What can I do to make your life better?" She had no idea how to answer that question. I could see her mouth move as she tried to say something, but nothing came out. In the end, she just shook her head and said nothing. That was last month, and in the meantime, nothing had changed. I was sitting in the Alaska Air lounge in Los Angeles, waiting for my flight, now delayed two hours and counting. I finished my report on the trip and e-mailed it to my boss, grateful that it was one less thing I had to do this coming weekend. When the flight finally got off the ground, I would be arriving in Vancouver at sometime around midnight, hopefully not delayed in customs, but with a further hour's drive to my home. Not an appealing prospect, but not the first time either. As I helped myself to some snacks and another glass of wine, I noticed a familiar face. While the face might have been familiar, I couldn't quite grasp the name from my memory. I know I'd seen him before, and not that long ago. As I sat back in my seat, it came to me. His name was Gerry something and we were seatmates on a previous flight a couple of months ago. With nothing better to do and surprised at having discovered someone I recognized, I walked over and reintroduced myself. "Hi, it's Gerry isn't it?" I tried tentatively. "Yes ... Gerry Lowrie. Oh ... I remember you, but I'm sorry, the name escapes me." "Andy Andrews. We were seatmates a while back ... on this same flight if I remember." "It would be," he nodded. "This is a regular flight for me." "Looks like we're going to be late getting home," I said idly. "Yeah, the inbound Seattle flight is delayed I'm told. Nothing new." "So, how are things with you? How's business?" "Business is okay. The rest of my life has turned to shit." I gave him a questioning look, letting him decided what to tell me. "If it was the flight I'm thinking of, I got home to find the house empty and my wife and kids gone. She had left with them, all their possessions, some of mine, and most of the money in our bank accounts." "Oh shit. That's bad. What happened?" "Decided I didn't measure up any more. Filed for divorce and moved out while I was down here. Never said a word. Just up and left." "You think there was another guy?" "If there is, she's kept it well hidden," he sighed. "Right now, she's not talking to me, living with her parents. Any communication goes through her lawyer and all I'm getting is she's filing for irreconcilable differences. That tells me absolutely nothing. My lawyer says it's a done deal. We'll end up splitting things fifty-fifty, except it won't be fifty-fifty. She'll get the house and I'll get the mortgage. Throw in child support and alimony and I'll be living in a cardboard box and eating Top Ramen noodles." "Jesus, it can't be that bad," I said. "Damn near. The worst part is I don't even know why." We talked some more before he changed the topic. He'd obviously had enough of talking about his troubles. We weren't seated near each other on the flight and it gave me plenty of time to think about my relationship with Carla. Were we headed down the same road as Gerry and his wife? It sounded like it. The more I thought about it the more I wondered if I should be taking precautions. Maybe I should do a little investigating on Carla's whereabouts during the days I was away. I had quite a bit of unused vacation time due me. Perhaps I could spend some of it keeping an eye on my wife. On the other hand, shouldn't I talk to someone about her behaviour? If so, who? Perhaps her sister, Ruth? We always got along well. Maybe she could tell me what the problem was. What was the risk? If I asked her to keep a confidence, I was reasonably certain she would. Another decision to make. I was off the road for the week and I had the opportunity to observe Carla more closely. I was at a loss to explain her sullenness. I could see no evidence that she wasn't healthy or that she was under pressure for some unknown reason. I wondered about her health. Had she been given a negative diagnosis by some doctor? Had she run up some debt that I didn't know about? What the hell would cause her to turn off me? There was one other possibility, of course. My travel kept me away ten days of the month. With the boys being so independent and Carla home alone, maybe she was bored. Maybe she had taken a lover. I suggested she look for a job, or even volunteer work a few months ago, but she showed no interest whatsoever. The mood around the house wasn't hostile. It was as if I didn't exist other than to be there. I had no role, no real function. I got up, made my own breakfast and went to work. I came home and Carla served Phil and me the evening meal. Most evenings, the only discussion that took place was between my son and me. After dinner, Phil would retreat to his room to study while Carla moved to the living room and turned on the TV. I could decide to join her or go to my office to do whatever. Not much of an existence when I thought about it. On the weekends, it was gardening when that was necessary, or washing the cars, or various home handyman tasks. Carla would go off shopping for an hour or two, but never failed to come home with purchases. I never had any reason to suspect she was anywhere other than where she claimed. We seldom went out to dinner any more. She didn't seem that interested. I know she visited with Ruth now and then, but I can't recall the last time anyone else came to our house to visit. When I thought about it, she had become very insular. I was the one who travelled and socialized regularly. As far as making love, we hadn't done that in several months. We had indulged in some perfunctory sex a couple of weeks ago, but I got the impression she was going through the motions and little more. Something was seriously wrong with our marriage now that I tallied up all the recent evidence. Had she fallen out of love with me? Had I fallen out of love with her? I didn't think so ... yet. However, I had the feeling I was well on my way to that destination. Could I put a stop to this potential train wreck? "Hi, Ruth, it's Andy." "Hi, Andy, what can I do for you?" "I was wondering if you and I could talk ... in confidence?" "What about?" "Uhhm ... it's kind of personal, but it's about Carla." There was an uncomfortable silence before she replied. "I'm sorry, Andy. I can't do that. I promised Carla." "Promised Carla? Promised her what?" "She's asked me to keep a confidence and I agreed. I don't want to break that confidence." I was confused, but now beginning to get a sick feeling. "This is about me, isn't it?" I demanded. "Yes," she said quietly after another pause. "Okay, Ruth, I guess that tells me what I want to know. Looks like I'm going to have a serious talk with Carla." "Andy ... I'm sorry," she said. I could hear the regret in her voice. "Yeah ... sure." I hung up, upset and on the border of being angry. "Carla, I had a conversation with Ruth today. Is there something you want to tell me?" I expected she would be completely caught off guard, but that wasn't the case. We were in the kitchen, finishing up the dinner dishes. "I know. Ruth called me. You'd better sit down." I didn't have to be too perceptive to understand I wasn't going to enjoy the next few minutes. "Andy, I'm sorry, but I will be filing for divorce this week. I've discovered I'm no longer in love with you and now that the children are adults, I feel I can start a new life that might bring me more happiness." "Is there someone else?" "No ... I wouldn't do that to you. I've just come to the point where I don't see us carrying on in this loveless, pointless state. I know you're not happy either. You're on the road half the time and I'm sure part of that is to avoid me. I get the feeling that aside from cooking and cleaning, I won't be missed." "That's not true," I said, almost pleading. "It is true, and you know it," she insisted. "Half our lives are gone and I want something to look forward to other than another forty years of boredom." "Boredom? Is that what our life together was? Boring?" "In the last few years, yes. We don't have enough in common to make this marriage last. I've fulfilled my marital obligations to you and the children and I want a life of my own." I sat silently, looking at her, trying to see even a hint of regret. I couldn't detect anything like that. "So, what do you want from me?" I asked, starting to wonder just what I would be left with in the aftermath. "Not much. I'll be living with Ruth for the time being until I can find a job. My lawyer has said he will ask for $2500 a month for support for three years. He tried to get me to push for more, but $2500 is fair, it think. You'll keep the house and I'll keep my car. You'll be responsible for Neal and Phil's expenses as well." "You're just going to abandon them too?" I asked incredulously. "No! Of course not," she said indignantly. "It's just that they will need a home and a base for now. Otherwise they're pretty self-sufficient. The registered education savings plan (RESP) will look after those costs. I'll be seeing them regularly." "What else?" I asked. "Nothing. I'll take my personal items with me and a couple of pieces of furniture that were in my family. I'm not trying to break you, Andy." "Thanks," I said sullenly. "Cheer up, Andy. You'll find someone else. You're a good looking guy and you have a good job. Some woman will latch onto you. Find one that's more like yourself, though. Someone you can share your life with, not exclude them like you did with me." "Is that what you think I did ... exclude you?" "Not on purpose, but you know that we didn't have a lot of common interests. After a while I got tired of trying to adapt and pretend I cared about your travels and the business people you dealt with." I couldn't think of a thing to say at that point. She'd made herself clear. I bored her. We didn't have much of anything in common. So ... it was over. I stood up and wandered over to the fridge and took out a beer. "When are you planning to move out?" I asked as I opened the bottle. "Ruth will help me starting tomorrow. It should only take two days to deal with everything. The lawyer said the papers will be served Thursday. They will be brought here after six. I don't intend to embarrass you publicly." "Thanks for that," I grumbled. "Cheer up, Andy. Who knows, a year or so from now you may be thanking me." I shook my head. She was impossibly calm and controlled. How could it be this easy for her? This was the end of twenty-three years of marriage and it was like she'd decided to go to the mall for a couple of hours. No big deal. Like hell! I was about to say something nasty when I realized it wasn't worth it. I was pissed, but I was going to keep myself under control for now. I may kick a hole in the wall with my boot when she wasn't here, but not yet. I shook my head in resignation once more and headed to my office. My sanctuary. Chapter 2 Moving On "Jesus, I'm sorry to hear that, Andy. That's got to hurt. I would never have dreamed Carla would just walk away like that." I was talking to my boss, Leo Cornell, filling him in on my domestic situation. "How are you going to be for money?" he asked. I knew what he was thinking. He was wondering if Carla was going to hit me with all kinds of financial burdens and make my life even more miserable. "That's the strange part, Leo. She only wants twenty-five hundred a month for support. She just wants out of the marriage. It's hard to believe I'm getting away so lightly." "No kidding. Well, no matter what, I feel for you. It's got to hurt after all those years. What about the boys?" "I'll look after them, as much as they need looking after. Neal's pretty well independent of us already and Phil's education is covered by our RESP. Other than feeding Phil's bottomless pit, he won't be a problem." "So what's your plan ... as far as work goes?" he asked. "I guess I'll stick to what I've been doing, Leo. Two weeks a month on the road. It's working for us, so why change?" Leo was silent for a few moments, seeming lost in thought. At length, he spoke. "Look Andy, this is off the record and completely confidential, so it can't leave this office. Can you agree to that?" "Of course," I said immediately. "We have an opportunity to acquire a small converting business in California. It's an operating business but is going nowhere presently. The current owner can't raise the money to modernize and is pretty much forced to sell. Because it's not very big, there isn't much interest in anyone acquiring it. However, with our strategy, it might fit us very well." I could feel the wheels in my head turning rapidly. Was this a golden opportunity for Flex-Tek to solidify our position in the western U.S.? "No one knows our strategy and our markets like you do. I'm thinking of forming a group to study this possibility. You, an accountant, and a manufacturing guy would make the decisions about whether this made economic and marketing sense." This was exciting. An opportunity to expand and have a say in how we did it. New markets. New customers. New products. It couldn't get much better than this. "I can't wait to get started, Leo. This is every peddlers dream, getting a chance to expand and do new things. Wait 'till I tell ..." My voice tapered off and I closed my eyes to hide the pain. "It's okay, Andy. I understand. Just take some time to get adjusted to the idea. Nothing's going to happen until I hear back from the people in California. Why don't you take a few days off? I'll call you when I hear anything. In the meantime, just keep it to yourself, please." Southbound Ch. 01-02 "Sure, no problem. Thanks, Leo. I think I will take the rest of the week off. I need to get some things done." Carla had pre-empted me and told the boys about our split. She was pretty vague about the reasons, but didn't trash me in the process. Both of them were surprised and had a hard time understanding what it would mean to our family. I got the feeling that if they were going to pick sides, they might choose mine, although I always felt Phil was closest to his mother. Talking to my parents was difficult. I tried to be honest with them and assure them that no one cheated, we just grew apart and Carla had decided to end it. I didn't talk to Carla's parents. We were never that close and I was sure Carla would let them know what was happening. I didn't expect to hear from them. Taking a week off seemed like a good idea at the time, but when I got out of bed the next morning, I had no idea what I was going to do with myself. There were no extreme financial measures necessary to protect myself. I simply cancelled the joint credit cards, keeping my business card and applying for a separate personal card in my name only. I sat in the secure room at the bank and went through our safe deposit box and did an inventory. Carla had already removed any personal items of her own, but had left the insurance policies and other important papers. Nothing was missing that should not have been. I made a note to change the beneficiaries on my policies and will. Then I remembered that I would need to change next-of-kin notification on a number of items as well. The house seemed like a tomb first thing in the morning. Phil was up and gone before me. The silence was spooky. I turned on the TV news just to have some background noise. At least Phil was here in the evening and slept here each night. I could hear him stir at night now and then and was glad for the faint noise. By mutual agreement, we did not talk about the impending divorce or his mother. I wasn't ready for that yet. By the end of the week, I was ready to go back to work. I had done every home repair and maintenance project I could think of and still couldn't keep myself busy enough. I worked hard to keep my mind off what had happened to me, but it was difficult to resist going over and over her words in my mind. We were nothing alike, she said. We were opposites and after a while she got tired of trying to find common ground. "Hi, Andy, it's Ruth." "Hello, Ruth," I replied sullenly. "How are you?" "Fine, thank you. Carla has gone to spend a couple of days with our parents. They aren't very happy with her and she wants to try and make peace." "Oh ... that's a surprise," I said, wondering why her parents would feel that way. "Andy, I wanted to talk to you about Carla and what she's done. I'm sure it must have caught you completely by surprise. I know it did for me when she first mentioned it." "What's there to say, Ruth? She made it clear why she was getting rid of me. Bored, she said. Nothing in common, she said. Christ, when she was done with her little speech, I wondered why she married me in the first place." "Don't be so hard on yourself, Andy. I think there might be a reason for all this. It's possible she entering early menopause. The brain can paint some ugly pictures for women when that begins." "You're her sister. Wouldn't she tell you?" "I don't think so. I don't think she wants to admit it to herself. I might be wrong, but both of us are getting near the age when menopause begins. I can assure you there is no other man in her life. But listening to her over the last couple of weeks, she's not sounding or thinking like the sister I know." "Ruth ... if you're right ... what are you suggesting? Reconciliation?" "Would you consider it?" "I don't think so. I'm not anxious to be single again, but I can't see us trying to put the pieces back together. It would have to be a pretty big attitude change to get me to consider it. The last year or so with her is something I don't intend to repeat." "Are you telling me this had been developing for over a year?" she asked, clearly surprised. "Yes. In fact, almost two years. She has been systematically shutting me out of her life." "Oh ... Andy ... I didn't know. I'm sorry. I wish you'd said something sooner." "Would it have made a difference?" "I don't know. I thought I was close to Carla, but now I'm beginning to wonder." "Now you're sounding like me. I thought I knew her too." "Let's stay in touch, Andy. I'll let you know if I learn anything." "Sure ... that's fine Ruth. Take care," I said, hanging up. I sat in my office chair, thinking about Ruth's call. I had always liked her and felt I could confide in her. If she was caught unawares by Carla's action, then what did that say about their relationship? And why were her parents upset with her? My recollection of them was that they were reasonably contemporary people and wouldn't view a divorce as unacceptable. They certainly wouldn't be objecting on religious grounds. And their attitude toward me was one of tolerance for the most part. Curious. I was more than grateful for the project Leo handed me. The target company turned out to be Statewide Converting, a pretentious name for an operation that was barely recognized in the marketplace. Their plant was in Tracy, just off Interstates 5, 580 and 205, a strategically central location. Our team consisted of myself, senior accountant Dave Charles, and Ralph Rubens, our very experienced production manager. Our task was to get inside Statewide and see what it would take to integrate it successfully into Flex-Tek. For the next three months, I spent my time working on the Tracy project. I spent a good deal of time out in the marketplace, looking at how we could take advantage of a great location and service our existing and future customer base. Dave, Ralph and I would huddle almost daily to discuss what we knew and what was required to make this acquisition work. I surveyed our clients and potential clients regarding our locating in California without revealing who we were targeting. The Statewide management people kept the acquisition as quiet as possible, but we were sure some of the employees must have known what was going on. Ralph came to the conclusion that almost all the equipment was obsolete for the products we wanted to make. Some of it was saleable on the used market while the rest was, as he put it, boat anchors. That put the burden on Dave to put a budget together based on Ralph's selection of new equipment and my direction when it came to product needs. There was only one person we had to convince and that was Leo. It was his business, his family's money, and therefore his decision. The financial condition of his company was such that he could borrow enough to create a modern medium sized plant capable of quality laminating, printing, bag and pouch making. Essentially, what Statewide had to offer was land, building and importantly, people. Its current customer base was of dubious value. If there was a concern, it was finding enough of the right people to man the plant and run the sophisticated equipment that would be completely new to them. That meant training and it was Ralph's job to assess the quality of the production staff and decide who was capable and who was not. He befriended a senior operator and relied on him to give him unvarnished assessments of the hourly workforce. There was another advantage to Tracy: its location in relation to the Bay Area and the Central Valley. People were commuting from Tracy to the two big Bay Area cities as housing prices continued to escalate in the late twentieth century. It seemed likely we could find some talent living in the immediate area if we advertised. We were going to need a total of about fifty people to run the operation when it was completely reconfigured. Before I began the study, I had arranged for a housekeeper to look after Phil's needs during the week. I would be home on the weekends. The arrangement was for three months, the time limit Leo had set for our evaluation and proposal. Dave was the whip who made sure we stuck to the schedule. From Labour Day forward for three months, I was totally dedicated to the project. It kept me from dwelling on Carla and the end of my marriage. I know she had occasionally come to the house during the week to check on Phil, but by agreement, we didn't discuss anything beyond the odd note she left me about a dental appointment or other routine issues. "All right you guys, how much money do you want and what am I going to get for it?" That was Leo, straight to the point, no bullshit. The three of us laughed, since Dave had already predicted it would be his opening line. He handed over the slim booklet and we prepared to take our boss through it. "Leo," Dave began, "we're going to convince you to invest almost twelve million dollars in this project and be confident that it is money well spent." "Holy shit, Dave! Twelve million!" Dave nodded. "Thereabouts." For the next three hours we went through the proposal in detail, covering the market opportunities, strategic strengths and weaknesses of current competitors, types of products and equipment, and finally, the financial analysis detailing the costs and expected return on investment. I'll hand it to Leo. After his initial reaction, his only questions were about whether we had enough equipment or space or manpower to get this job done. At no time did he question my market analysis after I covered the interviews of potential and existing customers. Those three months were the most fulfilling and productive of my business life. We had made a compelling case for buying a failing business and building it into a success based on our strategy. We were a mid-sized company who sought to avoid the big multinational competitors. We wanted the business they didn't want. We wanted to deliver high quality at competitive prices against the handful of mid-range converters already present. We had been successful doing this from Canada, and the numbers indicated we could be just as successful doing the same thing in California. "Leave it with me, guys. It's a lot of money and I need to think about it before committing to it. You've done a hell of a job putting the proposal together, so congratulations on that. I won't be long in making a decision, I promise." With that, the three of us left the office and headed off to our local bistro for a late lunch. "So, Dave, what do you think the odds are?" I asked. "Better than fifty-fifty, I think. I didn't get any feedback that he was contesting any of our suppositions or data. He trusts your market information, so he's okay there. If there's any concern it would be with our choosing Italian presses rather than German or American. I think he's concerned that the savings on cost will mean the quality and service won't be there. Ralph's follow-up on their installations indicated the Italian units are not going to be a problem." "I got no negative feedback other than the occasional language problem when they phoned the plant," Ralph confirmed. "I think the two presses we're proposing will cover anything we want to print and then some. They are very much state-of-the-art." "Well, there are considerable savings with the Italian units, especially compared to the German presses," Dave said. "My sense is that he'll probably go for it, but maybe not all at once. He may want to stage the equipment. One press and laminator, one pouch machine to start with. Bring on the second press and laminator when the business builds and go from there. The property allows us to expand in the future if we kept growing." "So, I guess it's in Leo's hands then," I said, stating the obvious. "I wonder who he'll nominate to run the show?" Ralph asked idly. "That manager they have is past his 'best before date.'" That got a laugh, but recognition that Ralph was right. Both the owner and the production manager were of retirement age and the production manager was not up on current printing or laminating technology. There would need to be a replacement for both when the new equipment arrived. Luckily, the owner had been supportive of the sale and modernization and had not been an obstacle. It appeared he was ready and willing to retire when the time came. One less problem, I thought. "What about the sales force, Andy," Dave asked. "Are you okay with them?" "Not totally. They've got a pretty good performer in Ms. Fiona Alexander, but the father and son broker team in Los Angeles give me the creeps. I think I'd want to terminate them. Every time I tried to talk about quality markets, they switched the conversation to volume opportunities. I think they only see how much commission they can earn. I'm sure we can do better. "I haven't come to a decision on the broker in Bakersfield, but the one we already have in Sacramento looks adequate. So, I may want to run a little light until I see how well we do with the people I have confidence in." "Are you going to run the entire sales force?" Ralph asked. "I don't know. That's up to Leo. If he asks me to, I'd accept. I think I can handle it." "Why wouldn't you ask for the job?" Dave asked. "I probably will if Leo gives us the go ahead. I'd sure want to be on the ground there to get things going in the right direction. Up here, I've got more confidence and we could appoint Mike as a local sales manager with a partial territory. That would make sense, considering his performance." "How long before you think the Tracy operation would be where you wanted it?" Ralph asked. "A year, I'd guess. Statewide doesn't have a lot of business we want to keep in the long term, so it will be up to me and the sales people to bring in some new business fairly soon. We'll move some of the business from Langley to Tracy to take advantage of the location and the better equipment. Langley is turning down some good business right now. I'm sure that's what got Leo thinking about expanding." "I wasn't surprised that over fifty percent of our business was now south of the border," Dave said. I knew we had been growing there, but when Leo and I looked at the figures, I'm sure that got him thinking." "It's our fit, Dave," I said. "We do the things the other guys don't want to do or can't do. That's what got us into the coffee business and the private label dried fruit and nut business. Look at that volume now." "It's good business," Ralph agreed. "It'll be a natural for the new plant." "If we get it," Dave grinned." "Yeah," I agreed, "If." To Be Continued